RCS - Sequoia Econ Infra - Results analysis from Kepler Trust Intelligence

Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income Fund

27/06/2024 10:08

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RNS Number : 1567U  Sequoia Economic Infra Inc Fd Ld  27 June 2024

Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income (SEQI)

27/06/2024

Results analysis from Kepler Trust Intelligence

Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income (SEQI) has released its financial
results for the year ending 31/03/2024. Over the year, the trust saw its NAV
increase by 8.1% on a total return basis, in excess of its target return of
7-8%.

SEQI paid a total dividend of 6.875p per ordinary share which represents a
yield of 8.7% on the share price at the time of writing. The trust delivered a
total share price return of 9.6%, helped by a modest narrowing in its discount
from 13.8% to 13.5%. The discount has since widened to 16.2%.

The managers have been active in portfolio management, increasing the
proportion of fixed rate investments from 42% to 58% over the financial year
to position the portfolio to take advantage of the expected fall in interest
rates.

The managers and board also continue to take a proactive approach to capital
allocation, repaying the revolving credit facility to reduce net debt to zero
and returning £88 million to shareholders via a share buyback programme.

Chair James Stewart commented: "I am pleased to announce another resilient
year of performance, despite ongoing challenges in the macroeconomic
backdrop."

Kepler View

Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income (SEQI) generates a high yield for
investors by lending against infrastructure projects backed by the security of
tangible physical assets. The infrastructure sector is forecast to enjoy
strong growth from mega-trends such as digitalisation and decarbonisation,
which require trillions of pounds of investment.

This has led to a significant growth in private sector financing as a means of
plugging the gap from government spending. We think SEQI is well-positioned to
take advantage of this opportunity as the only listed economic infrastructure
debt vehicle in the UK. One of SEQI's strengths is the diversification of its
portfolio, with around 55 investments across 30 sub-sectors.

Against a challenging backdrop for alternatives, SEQI has delivered a strong
set of results with a NAV and share price total return of 8.1% and 9.6%
respectively. This was primarily due to its focus on credit quality through
the year.

In our view, SEQI could be an attractive proposition for investors seeking
exposure to the infrastructure sector, which offers defensive qualities in
addition to strong secular growth themes. While there would be some negative
impact on income from falling interest rates, the managers' decision to build
up fixed rate exposure has counteracted some of this. We think the dividend
looks sustainable over the coming year, thanks to the high amount of liquidity
available and the current outlook for rates. Given the likely positive impact
of falling rates on the valuation of the portfolio, we think there is the
potential for strong total returns in such an environment from the 8.7%
dividend yield plus capital upside from pull to par and a possible narrowing
of the discount.

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